Decision
by 13litz13last
Summary: This is a short thing just describing how Itachi and the Third and Naruto have to make a lot of choices and stuff. I think I wrote it nicely. Please read it, it's pretty good, I think. Spoilers for chap. 400-ish.


Love can be found in many places, in many forms. A bond between parent and child is exceptionally strong, for the parents must to protect the child is an inescapable need. A bond between mentor and student is usually not quite as strong, but it should still never be underestimated.

A bond between brothers a bit different than these, though. They are connected by blood and their own bonds towards their parents. They are connected by sibling rivalry and sometimes by shared likes and hobbies.

Sometimes people don't have brothers, and it's hard to understand what they missed. But when you are a brother and have a brother, you understand this bond.

Sometimes, even when two brothers love each other with a flourishing intensity, things do not end up as planned. Tragedy can strike even toward those with the purest of hearts.

Sasuke had felt this, and at one time it seemed like this bond could never be broken. But then, it seemed, it had.

The truth was hidden behind many lies, and the truth was hard to find. One simple fact was true: Itachi killed the clan. Depending upon the extent of your knowledge, this could mean a whole lot.

To Sasuke, it meant his world crumbled. The brother he thought loved him and loved his family turned around and shattered all trust. Not only that, he fled. He killed them. He _killed _them. Sasuke was left alone. Itachi didn't care. No one cared. Only him. And he had to seek vengeance. The only thing that mattered was Itachi.

To Itachi, his world was also crumbled. He'd hurt his brother horribly. There was no changing that. He'd been unable to stop his family from the worst possible deeds they could have done, so instead of letting them proceed he killed them. He _killed _them. And now, how could anything be set right? The only thing in his world that mattered was Sasuke.

In this twisted world of ruthless shinobi, no one was safe. Discrimination and hate knew no boundaries. It broke apart families and bonds and important things without a second thought. It started wars and spurred false accusations, and it seemed nothing in the world could stop it.

Many people had important decisions to make.

The Third had a choice: do the right thing, or the peaceful thing. The right thing would be to correct the wrong, and not kill the Uchiha clan. He could earn their trust again, maybe reach a truce, stop fearing them. Or he could just kill them and not have to worry, which was what most villages did. But, in letting them live, they would always live in the fear that they would attack. And, well, peace…

Itachi had a choice: Sasuke or peace. Sasuke, if he found the truth, would inevitably take it out on the Leaf Village. It was an undeniable truth. But, well, Sasuke…

Naruto had a choice: Sasuke or Konoha. If he chose Sasuke, all of Konoha could perish. If he chose Konoha, he'd have to kill his best friend, since he was going to attack the Leaf Village. But weren't the many lives of the villagers more important than one, that of Sasuke? Or was saving his best friend, which he'd been striving to do, more important?

There are many decisions in life, and it seems some of them have a sad ending no matter how you try to twist them. Everyone has to face them eventually.

But you see, Naruto is special. He has a way of not choosing at all. Sometimes, you don't have to choose.

Itachi was unable to choose. Instead of settling on Konoha, which was the so-called 'logical' choice, he chose Sasuke.

The Third was unable to chose. To him the village was the most important thing, not Itachi.

Konoha and Sasuke were equally important in Naruto's mind. Itachi knew this. He didn't want to have to see Naruto choose, either, like he had had to. And if he had to, he didn't want Naruto choosing Konoha, which would mean the end of Sasuke and make all his efforts meaningless.

So he gave Naruto the secret power. This power is unknown to everyone currently, but maybe it holds something.

Maybe it holds the freedom to _not _have to choose.


End file.
